Since the early 1970s, Aerosmith guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Brad Whitford has played on albums topping 150 million sales worldwide. Jimi Hendrix had a clear and direct influence on Whitford who recalled, “I got to see Hendrix play in ’68 at the Boston Garden, and it was like, ‘Wow!’ I bought a Fender guitar the very next day.”

A veteran of earlier Experience Hendrix Tours, Whitford explains what keeps him coming back year after year: “It’s such a wonderful atmosphere. Sometimes we’d get on the bus and travel at night and we’re watching old Hendrix videos. It just doesn’t stop. It’s a great group of people.” Whitford’s admiration for Jimi is a motivating factor. “He had a really deep understanding and knowledge of blues. I don’t know where it came from. We all try and cop that feel. We can’t quite nail it, but it sure is fun to try and emulate some of what he did. There are a lot of good lessons in that.” Brad Whitford will be performing March 10-12.

Three time Grammy winners Los Lobos formed in 1973, but it wasn’t until the following decade when they gained international stardom with their rendition of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba.” No strangers to the Experience Hendrix Tour, Los Lobos vocalist/guitarists David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas are scheduled to perform March 9-11.

“I’ve been a fan since ’67, when the first album came out. My older brother brought it home and that was it. I never looked back,” explains Hidalgo, who cites Jimi Hendrix as a major influence on Los Lobos. “I love all his songs. ‘Little Wing’ is one of the prettiest songs I ever heard. ‘Can You See Me’ takes me back to being 15 years old. That’s what I love about his music. It’s all so comfortable. A lot of it’s just from memory, from going up and hearing it so much. When somebody [in the Experience Hendrix Tour] drops out and they need somebody to fill in on a certain song, you already know the song.”

Similarly, Rosas became a fan when the Jimi Hendrix Experience released their debut album Are You Experienced. “I was in the 7th grade. He exploded on the radio. I was just a kid loving music and living in East L.A. We just had a little transistor radio. Listening to Jimi was quite a treat. It was so different from everything else. It was exciting, great music. I’m left handed like he is. He strings his guitar the way I string my guitar. I’ve always just loved what he did with his fingers. That sound is so different and so unique. What an amazing talent.”

This 11th edition of the critically acclaimed Experience Hendrix Tour will be the most ambitious one to date, encompassing 29 dates in February and March, including a special engagement in Seattle, Hendrix’s hometown, at the city’s historic Paramount Theatre. 2017 also marks the 50th anniversary of Are You Experienced (released on May 12, 1967) as well as the follow up album Axis: Bold as Love (released in the UK on December 1, 1967). 1967 was also the year Jimi Hendrix rose to intercontinental prominence, when he made his U.S. debut at the Monterey International Pop Music Festival, lighting his guitar on fire to a mesmerized audience. The repertoire from this stage of Jimi’s career serves as a cornerstone in Experience Hendrix Tour sets, as songs like “Fire,” “Manic Depression,” and “Are You Experienced” are played by various musicians on a nightly basis.

It has also been announced that every pair of tickets purchased online for select Experience Hendrix Tour dates will come with a physical CD copy of Machine Gun: Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69. It’s the recently released Jimi Hendrix album that chronicles the very first public performance of the Band of Gypsys, including the aforementioned Billy Cox and drummer/vocalist Buddy Miles. The group is notable for being the first to seamlessly combine rock, funk and soul music.